What's so great about Twitter?

bassrique · #1 02-04-2009, 10:37 AM

If I understand it correctly, people leave short messages from whatever device they have handy [PC, phone, laptop] about whatever it is that they are doing at that moment. These updates are called "tweets". Short feedback messages may be posted. I think there's another word for this, and it's "minutiae".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter

I'm not a technological luddite, but does anyone else think this is overkill?

I'll leave you all with a tweet:

Going to stand up, stretch my back, and head to the men's room for a dump.

wilser · #2 02-04-2009, 10:44 AM

ME: c-cah, c-cah
DAUGHTER: tweet, tweet.

crimson_basser · #3 02-04-2009, 10:45 AM

One application i think its good for, is bands on tour who may not get long access to the internet. They can leave a quick message for fans, family or whoever.

I think itd be convenient in that way. And you wouldnt have to pay long distance/service charges for calling on the phone or anything like that.

But i agree, in most applications its complete overkill

excane · #4 02-04-2009, 10:47 AM

It is used to make people feel much more important in life than they really are.

bassrique · #5 02-04-2009, 10:56 AM

Tweet:

It's a nice clean bathroom. 5 stalls, all empty but mine at the end. Some dude just has to pick the stall next to mine. His foot is inching under my side of the partition. He's tapping his foot???????

varunkapahi · #6 02-04-2009, 11:08 AM

tweet:
am sleepy. thinking about logging out of here but i keep checking the classifieds even when i dont have any money

superbassman2000 · #7 02-04-2009, 11:35 AM

isn't it also called microblogging?

I don't think it's that great, but it seems like that is the logical progression from blogging. Of course, i used to think blogging was dumb, but i like some now--granted not the personal ones, but the ones with jokes, music or other odd things.

DudeistMonk · #8 02-04-2009, 11:40 AM

I'm a web guy and I think twitter is the stupidest crap ever....Yeah cause anyone really cares that I'm eating a tuna sandwich right now.

megadan · #9 02-04-2009, 11:53 AM

It's pretty handy, I can see what people are doing without the bloat of facebook.

PSPookie · #10 02-04-2009, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by megadan

It's pretty handy, I can see what people are doing without the bloat of facebook.

Yeah, I just don't see how you could do that without Twitter.

<<ring,ring>>
Me: Hey, whatcha doing?
Friend: Eating a tuna sandwich
.
.
.
<end>

wilser · #11 02-04-2009, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSPookie

Yeah, I just don't see how you could do that without Twitter.

<<ring,ring>>
Me: Hey, whatcha doing?
Friend: Eating a tuna sandwich
.
.
.
<end>

are you kidding? and have some sort of pseudo-personal contact with another human being?!?! THE HORROR!

PSPookie · #12 02-04-2009, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wilser

are you kidding? and have some sort of pseudo-personal contact with another human being?!?! THE HORROR!

It's INSANITY I tell ya'

GregC · #13 02-04-2009, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSPookie

Yeah, I just don't see how you could do that without Twitter.

<<ring,ring>>
Me: Hey, whatcha doing?
Friend: Eating a tuna sandwich
.
.
.
<end>

I LOL'd. Yes, I got a Twitter invitation from a friend, I ignored it. Cripes, we can talk anytime via email and phone.

jokerjkny · #14 02-04-2009, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crimson_basser

One application i think its good for, is bands on tour who may not get long access to the internet. They can leave a quick message for fans, family or whoever.

I think itd be convenient in that way. And you wouldnt have to pay long distance/service charges for calling on the phone or anything like that.

But i agree, in most applications its complete overkill

exactly,

course, that can be done on facebook, too.

megadan · #15 02-04-2009, 02:04 PM

Yeah, I hate the phone, never use it if I don't absolutely have to. The more ways I have to communicate, the better.

Jared Lash · #16 02-04-2009, 02:23 PM

Eh, we continue down a path of being a society that communicates more and more but has less and less worth actually saying.

megadan · #17 02-04-2009, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBigO

Eh, we continue down a path of being a society that communicates more and more but has less and less worth actually saying.

I disagree; there's been more radical and free thought in the last half century than any other time in history. Communication may reach a plateau, as it approaches effortlessness, but the message will always be strong. You may be confusing a rising signal to noise ratio with having less worth saying; as said communications reach a plateau the volume of crap and thought will both rise proportionally.

Jared Lash · #18 02-04-2009, 02:35 PM

That argument holds for the internet as a whole. It does not hold for texting, twittering, or Facebook/MySpace postings. On that level it's all noise.

And more to my original point, it's all noise that by virtue of mere participation generally erodes a person's ability to effectively communicate.

iScott · #19 02-04-2009, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by excane

It is used to make people feel much more important in life than they really are.

/thread

Gubna · #20 02-04-2009, 02:47 PM

it's great that I can update it from my phone and say that I'm reading a thread on TB about someone posting how he's eating a tuna sandwich.

yeah, it's b.s.